With its politically crucial food security agenda facing time-consuming scrutiny by a parliamentary panel, the government is considering the option of rolling out key elements of the programme through an executive decision that can be later subsumed by an act of Parliament. Concerned the bill that negotiated divides within the government and involved discussions with the Sonia Gandhi-headed National Advisory Council might be delayed till later this year, the Centre could...

Interventions aimed directly at children — providing free textbooks, uniforms and addressing out of school children – account only for 6 per cent of the total investment in elementary education. The largest investment — 78 per cent — of the education budget in India is invested in teachers and management costs while the next largest spending, to the tune of 14 per cent, is done on creating school infrastructure. Only...

As the nursery admissions rush gains momentum in the city, Delhi Directorate of Education (DoE) has defended its position on allowing 3+ as the age for entry in unaided schools. According to its affidavit in the Delhi High Court, the Right To Education (RTE) Act enables the DoE to allow children above the age of 3 years to be prepared for the elementary education. In response to a PIL that has that...

Despite its introduction with much fanfare three years ago, Jammu and Kashmir government has abruptly slowed down on the implementation of Right to Information (RTI) Act, which was designed to bring transparency and accountability to public offices. According to the Act enacted in March 2009, it is incumbent upon the state government to launch major awareness campaign for general public through various mediums of communication and languages, especially for disadvantaged communities...

-The Times of India The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), a statutory body set up to promote and defend child rights in the country, has sent a notice to the state government asking it to reply within 15 days on complaints of admission to private schools before the end of the present academic year thus violating Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009. The notice...